Andrew Briggs Sells 3,000 Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.58, for a total transaction of $91,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 147,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,512,079. This represents a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO opened at $30.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $422.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s fifty day moving average is $28.08 and its 200-day moving average is $26.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.77 and a 12 month high of $32.00.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. Equities analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FMAO. Hovde Group lowered their price objective on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% in the 4th quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,991,000 after buying an additional 457,500 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $223,000. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) is the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California, a community-focused institution headquartered in Los Banos, California. The bank traces its roots to 1916 and has grown to serve individuals, businesses and agricultural enterprises throughout the western San Joaquin Valley. Operating with a commitment to local decision-making, the company emphasizes personalized service and close ties to the communities in which it operates.

Through its banking subsidiary, Farmers & Merchants offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, online and mobile banking platforms, and merchant services.